Monkey-wrench



A. P. WIERTZ.

MONKEY WRENCH.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 18. 1920.

Patented Oct. 26,1920.

4 Mien;

STATES UITE ANTHONY P. WIERTZ, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

MONKEY-WRENCH.

Application filed February To all who 21bit may concern: Be it lmown that I, ANTHONY P. WIERTZ,

a citizen of the United States residing at Minneapolis, in the county or Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in M011 key-Wrenches, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to monkey wrenches, and has for its general object the provision of a very simple and easily adjusted wrench of this character in which the movable jaw may be readily shifted toward the fixed jaw, and when so shifted is automatically held in its shifted position against movement away from the fixed jaw, provision being made whereby the locking pawls which hold the movable jaw in its adjusted position may be readily shifted outward by a pressure of the finger to thus permit the movable jaw to be shifted away from the fixed aw.

A further object is to provide a device of this character which, while simple in construction, is very strong, and which may be cheaply made.

Other objects will appear in the following description.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a wrench constructed in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional jaw and the extension formed with the slide therefor, one ofthe pawls being shown in elevation;

Referring to these drawings, 10 designates the shank of the wrench having thereon the fixed jaw 11 of any usual or suitable form. The shank 10 has formed upon its edge the oppositely projecting flanges 12 which merge into the head, it being understood that the flanges 12, the shank, and the head 11 may be formed in one piece. These flanges 12 cause a portion of the shank relatively adjacent the head to be T-shaped in cross section. The inner faces of the flanges for a portion of their length are toothed, as at 13.

Mounted to slide upon the opposite edge face of the shank is a movable jaw 14 having an extension 15, the inner face of this Specification of Letters Patent.

the course of view of the movable Patented oct. 26, 1920.

18,1920. Serial N0. 359,529.

extension and the inner face of the jaw being grooved, as at 16, to embrace and slide upon the shank and be held from lateral movement With relation thereto. Disposed over the opposite edge ofthe shank is a plate or web 17 connected tothe extension 15 by means of webs '18 and 19 on each side of the shank and spaced from the shank. The parts 14, 15, 17, 18 and 19'may be all formed integral or separately constructed and connected to each other in any suitable.

manner Preferably, however, they will be formed integral.

The side faces of the extension 15 are cut away, as at 20, and disposed in these cut away portions of the extension 15 are the oppositely disposed pawls 21 which extend away from the jaws and toward the flange 12 and are each formed at its free end with a series of teeth 22 adapted to engage with the teeth 13. Springs 23 are dis: posed between the inner faceof theinclined wall of the cut away portion 20, and the confronting face of each pawl, these springs being approximately U-shaped and having the extremities of their legs inserted in notches or otherwise connected to the respective parts. These springs act to urge the pawls into engagement with the teeth 13.

For the purpose of moving'both of'these pawls out of engagement withthe teeth 13,

I provide a yoke 24: having two legs extend-f ing through openings in the plate or web 17 and on each side of the wrench and 'pivotally engaging with the pawls 21. This yoke at its middle is provided with a button 25 so that by the'pressure of the thumb on this button, the pawls may be'released, and then when thepressure on this button is released, the springs 23 'will'urge the pawls upward in engagement with the teeth 13. p l

It is obvious that the movable jaw and the extension 15 may be shifted-toward the fixed jaw 11 by pushing on the movable jaw, the pawls, because of the fact that they extend at an inclination to the inner face ofthe flange 12, ridwith' this construction ing over the teeth 13. While the movable jaw may be readily shifted toward the fixed jaw, it cannot be shifted away from the fixed jaw because of the engagement of the then a downward pull of the thumb will 7 pull the sliding body, to which the jaw 14 is attached, away from the fixed jaw.

, It will be seen that this wrench may be quickly adjusted and that when adjusted' the movable jaw is securely heldfrom move ment away from the work. It will likewise V be noted that thestrain on the movable aw is resisted by relatively heavy pawls which are engaged with a plurality of the teeth and that the strain. on the movable jaw is translated into a thrust directed diagonally toward the flange 12 so that this thrust is in the direction of the length of the pawl and is not in a direction at right angles to the pawl or at right angles to the teeth so that there is no tendency. to strip the teeth either on the end of the pawl or on the flange 12. i

It may be remarked that the position of the button 25 is of. importance, in that by placing this button behind the web 17, it is put in a positionwhere the thumbmay read ily depress it without any twisting movement being exerted upon the wrench. If means were provided at one side of the wrench for depressing one pawl, and the other pawl was connected thereto to move therewith, the act of depressing the pawls would tend to turn the wrench in the hand. This is avoided by the construction which I have illustrated.

lVhile I have illustrated a particular form r of my invention which have found to be thoroughly effective in practice, I do not wish to be limited thereto, as it is obvious that many changes might be made in the de tails of construction without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims. s r

I claim r V V 1. A wrench of the character described comprising a handle shank having atone end a fixed jaw, the shank being T-shaped in cross section for a portion ofits length thereby providing laterally projecting flanges, the

inner faces of these flangesbeing toothed, a

sliding member mounted upon the handle shank and having a movable jaw attached thereto, pawls mounted upon each side of the sliding member and extending inward to the toothed flanges of the handle shank and away from the-jaws, springs urging said pawls intoengagement with the toothed flanges, and a yoke having legs extending through the back of said sliding member and engaging said pawls, the yoke having means disposed at the back of the sliding member whereby the pawls-may be shifted to their disengaged positions against the force of said springs.

2. A wrench of the character described comprising a handle shank having a fixed jaw and formed fora portion of its length with laterally projecting flanges, the inner faces of said flanges on each side of the handle shank being toothed, a sliding member grooved to receive the handle shank and having a jaw, a plate extending over the back of the handle shank and having webs connecting it to the said sliding member, the sliding member on each lateral face being cut away, pawls pivoted in said cut away portions of the sliding member and extending toward said flanges and away from the j aws, springs urging said pawls toward the toothed shank, each of said pawls'having' a plurality of teeth to 'engagethe teeth of the shank, and means whereby both pawls may be simultaneously shifted away from the flanges onthe shank and against the action of said springs.

3. A wrench of the character described comprising a handle shank having a fixed jaw and formed for a portion of its length with laterally projecting flanges, the inner faces 7 of said flanges on each side of the handle shank being toothed, a sliding member grooved to receive the handle shank and having a jaw, a plate extending over the back of the handle shank and having webs connecting it to the sliding member, the sliding member on each lateral face being cut away, inclined pawls pivoted in said-cut away portions ,of the sliding member and 7 extending toward said flanges and away from 'the jaws, springs urging said pawls toward the toothed shank, each of said pawls having a plurality-of teeth to engage the teeth ofthe-shank, and means for shifting the pawls comprising a yoke having legs extending through said first named plate and pivotally connected to the pawls, the middle portion of said yoke outward of the being provided with a button," I r In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature. v

ANTHONY WIERTZ.

plate 7 s 

